Sarasota police aid in sea turtle release

A little more than a year after a Sarasota Police officer re-routed 100 confused sea turtles in front of Lido Beach Resort back to the Gulf of Mexico, SPD has come to the rescue again.

The Sarasota Police Department partnered with Mote Marine Laboratory last week to aid in the release of two loggerhead turtles, which were rehabilitating in Mote’s Hatchling Hospital due to injuries sustained during nesting season, according to a news release. SPD used a patrol boat to transport the critters to a specific site on the water filled with seaweed, which the turtles use to find food and shelter.

“With a record number of hatchling patients this year, we’ve been working hard to help them recover and return to the wild quickly.” said Mote Marine Sea Turtle Care Coordinator Holly West in the release. “This mission becomes so much easier with the support of caring people in our community.”

In 2013, Officer Derek Conley stopped traffic several times while collecting more than 100 lost sea turtles in a box and releasing them into the gulf.

Click here for a video documenting Mote’s sea turtle and marine mammal rescue operations.